Arsène Wenger says he is ready for another 15 years at Arsenal if the Club will have him.
The Frenchman was an unknown quantity when he arrived in north London back in 1996. The decade and a half that followed would become the most successful in Arsenal's illustrious history. Wenger is 62 in October and his side have endured a tough start to the current campaign but he is more than happy carry on. "I am up for [five, 10 or 15 years]," he said. "But it depends first of all on my club. Do they want me to stay?
"Then it depends on my health as well because that is something that you consider when you get to my level. It demands a lot of energy to win football games." Wenger's Arsenal have spent the last 14 years in the top four and, as a consequence, the Champions League. However it has been a much-publicised six seasons since they won a trophy. The manager is continuing his search but his strategy remains admirably long-term.
"I miss winning titles very much," said Wenger. "You only have one way [to solve it] - fight on and win again."But I feel what is very important for us is to transform this club from a top-level club into one that has a fantastic future potential and with values that we think are important in the game. "Also there is the style of play we have and the way we behave to develop young players and give a chance to people who deserve it in life. For me that is as well very important in the history of the Club."
Team news: Tottenham: Gallas (calf), Dawson (Achilles), Huddlestone (ankle), Krancjar (doubt - ankle), Pienaar (doubt - groin).
Arsenal: Gervinho (doubt - muscular), Walcott (doubt - knee), Koscielny (ankle), Djourou (muscular), Wilshere, Vermaelen, Diaby (all ankle)
Wenger - I'm up for another 15 years
Refa M. Dean
Three goals in seven minutes late in the second half saw Arsenal Under-18s secure victory at Chelsea on Saturday morning.The deadlock was broken by midfielder Serge Gnabry in the 75th minute then Phillip Roberts bagged a brace shortly afterwards to give Steve Bould's side the three points.
"I'm committed. This is my eighth year. If you can say of one player that he's committed, it's me." On the game, Van Persie admitted he was as surprised as anybody to score the opening goal of the game after just 29 seconds. He said: "I guess it was my first touch. I was a bit surprised as well, but it was a really good pass from Gervinho, I took a good touch with my left foot and it went in.
"But I didn't know it was such a quick goal." Van Persie's second was a peach, with his left-footed freekick that more than matching Seb Larsson's curling equaliser on 32 minutes. The Dutchman added: "I felt confident because it's my favourite position, but I have to be a bit critical and look at myself because I have missed many chances, so it was about time to be honest. "We've been there before in the last couple of minutes trying to hold on to a 2-1 score and we did well. "They pump in every single ball and they can cause problems, but we have to handle them and all of the back four defenders and the midfielders try to help each other, so credit goes to the whole team."
Arsenal Football Club has opened a new state-of-the-art Medical Centre at the Club's London Colney Training Centre.
The two storey medical building houses a large open-plan rehabilitation gym and new office space, which will accommodate the Arsenal Medical Team, including its doctors, physiotherapists, conditioners and analysts. The new multi-million pound structure supplements an already impressive facility in the main building at the Arsenal Training Centre. It will allow those players returning from injury to concentrate on their rehabilitation in a separate, specialised space with one-on-one attention from medical staff. Player monitoring and focused individual work will also play an important role in injury reduction and prevention.
The Medical Centre's design is tailor-made to the needs of the players. Lots of natural light seeks to compensate players unable to train outside and heat sensitive windows maintain an optimum temperature within the gym at all times. The centre includes new apparatus such as an anti-gravity treadmill, which uses adjustable weight-bearing technology to allow players to run without putting undue pressure on healing joints. A range of screening equipment means that players can be monitored on site, and enables the Club's Medical Team to now conduct medicals at the Training Centre, at very short notice if required.
A strip of athletic track – the same as that being laid at the Olympic Stadium in London, and a range of exercise machines, facilitate a whole range of other rehabilitation exercises. The new Medical Centre follows extensive research from Arsenal's Medical Team, headed by Club Physiotherapist Colin Lewin and Club Doctor Gary O'Driscoll, which has included visits to medical facilities from a number of different sports, including the NFL, NHL and NBA in the United States. Club Physiotherapist, Colin Lewin said: "Players carrying both long and short-term injuries will benefit greatly from the new centre, which will also perform an important role in injury prevention. Our new Medical Centre will give additional space and resources to our medical operation. "The new equipment will help as much with preventing new injuries, as with treating current ones and the facility will ensure that we continue to give the best possible support to our players. We're constantly working to stay at the forefront of the sports medicine field and we're very excited about this development."